WISCONSIN STATE SOCIETY
HISTORY OF WISCONSIN STATE SOCIETY
The history of the Wisconsin State Society goes back to the mid-1850s, when the Illinois State Society was founded as the first society of its kind. It wouldn't be long before the Wisconsin State Society was formed, however the records of past presidents, board members and activities have been lost to time.
What we do know is that state societies began coming back into vogue after World War II when they came together to re-launch the Cherry Blossom Festival in 1948.
According to legal documents, the Wisconsin State Society was incorporated in the 1970s. In the early 1980s, our past president Bill Wagner took over leadership of the society and led the society for 30+ years. As of 2025, Kate Kros assumed the role of President of the Society. With a robust board and growing membership, we hope to bring all that is great about the state of Wisconsin to the Nation's Capital.
Do you know more about the history of the Wisconsin State Society? Let us know and we'll add your contribution to the history.
MEET THE BOARD
Kate M. Kros
President
Kate M. Kros serves as President of the Wisconsin State Society (WSS). Kate grew up in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin and graduated from Marquette University (MU). While in Washington for the last 15+ years, Kate has continued to stay connected to her home state through volunteering with WSS, cheering on DA Pack and the Golden Eagles, and serving as the Marquette University Alumni Club of DC President for 7+ years. For her volunteering efforts, she was awarded the 2024 MU Young Alumna of the Year Award by the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. For the last five years, Kate has worked in the Federal Affairs shop for the Milwaukee-based firm Foley & Lardner LLP. Kate and her husband, Grant, married in Milwaukee at Gesu on Marquette's campus. They have a son, Teddy, a Cavalier, Millie (short for Milwaukee), and a baby girl arriving in 2025.
Bobby Hamill
Vice President, Special Events
Bobby was born and raised in Brookfield, Wisconsin and graduated from Brookfield Central High School. He studied political science and Spanish at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he developed his passion for politics. After an internship at the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce and a Congressional campaign, Bobby came to Washington, DC to work for former Congressman Sean Duffy (WI-07). He now works on environmental and legislative policy for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
Mary Aileen O'Donovan
Board Member
Mary Aileen has been a member for more than thirty years. She most recently served as WSS President from 2020 through 2023. She is originally from Milwaukee and lives in Woodley Park in DC. She worked for the Federal Government for thirty-eight years. She was a Federal contractor for another three years. She has been a teacher, a statistician, a contracting officer and a volunteer. She is married to Patrick and has two sons who are all members of the WSS.
Katie Johnson
Vice President, Public Affairs
Katie has served on the WSS board since 2015 in various capacities, as a previous president and managing communications and social media. Katie was raised in Milwaukee, her family still lives in Mukwonago, WI and she is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. She was named Wisconsin's Cherry Blossom Princess in 2014, and she has been involved with the state society ever since. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her Great Pyrenees rescue dog, Charlie, and volunteering.
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Randy Bohnert
Board Member
Randy has been a long-time member of the WSS and served as its representative to the National Council of State Societies for many years, including holding the position of Secretary. He regularly makes road trips back to his hometown of Medford in central Wisconsin, ensuring he also visits various corners of the state. Most recently he has become a National Mall volunteer for the National Park Service.
Olivia Coleman
Director of Communications
Susan Jollie
Treasurer and Corporate Secretary
Susan serves as Corporate Secretary after serving for many years as WSS vice president. Susan was raised in Appleton and attended Marquette University, graduating in 1972. She then attended Georgetown University Law Center. Before retiring several years ago, her legal career involved regulatory, legislative and international law in various positions in government and private practice. She resides in Annandale, Va.
Maria Giannopoulos
Vice President, Corporate Engagement
Maria Giannopoulos serves as the Vice President of Corporate Engagement for the Wisconsin State Society. Maria is a proud cheesehead originally from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where the polka band is big in Home Alone. Her spirit shined at the University of Wisconsin - Madison where she served as the Senior Class President and the Student Body Vice President. Recently, Maria spent a year back home in Wisconsin after years in DC, leading the Marketing & Digital for the 2024 Republican National Convention.
Maria has been an avid member of the Wisconsin State Society since her reign as the 2017 Wisconsin Cherry Blossom Princess to the annual National Conference of State Societies Cherry Blossom Program. In the next year, Maria aims to increase engagement between the State Society, Congressional delegation and our corporate partners. Please reach out to Maria if you’d like to get involved!
Ciaran O'Donovan
Board Member
Ciaran has been a lifelong member of the WSS and is fond of all things Wisconsin. His mother is originally from Milwaukee and has family all over the state. He studied at West Virginia University and is a staff accountant working for CloudHQ, a global data center provider in their operations department. He currently resides in Arlington, VA.
Otto Heck
Board Member
Olivia Coleman is a new member of the WSS board. She is a native of Wausau, Wisconsin and a graduate of DC Everest Senior High School. After completing a degree in Political Science and Communication Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (go Badgers!), Olivia moved to Washington, DC to work on Senator Ron Johnson’s communications team. She is now serving as Press Secretary for the House Oversight Committee. In 2023, Olivia was named Wisconsin’s Cherry Blossom Princess.
Dr. Paul Nolette
Board Member
Kelsie Wendelberger
Board Member
Paul Nolette is Associate Professor and Director of Marquette’s Les Aspin Center for Government, which provides experiential learning opportunities for undergraduates as part of a living-learning community in Washington D.C. His teaching and research interests include American law, courts, and public policy. He is the co-editor of Publius: The Journal of Federalism, and his work on state attorneys general is frequently relied upon in several national media outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Politico, and others. Nolette completed his Ph.D. in political science at Boston College prior to joining the Marquette faculty in the fall of 2011. He also received a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2004 and a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Anselm College in 2001. After law school, Prof. Nolette worked in a litigation law firm and later served as the legal counsel for the Labor and Workforce Development Committee in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
CONTACT US
Get in touch with us to learn more about our events or how to get more involved. We look forward to hearing from you!